Welding Manager & Technical Lead (CWI) | Lean Manufacturing

HTI; Easley (SC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

HTI is seeking a hands-on Welding Manager to lead daily welding operations and serve as the facility’s technical welding expert. You will oversee welders, fitters, team leads, and robotic welding operators while driving improvements in safety, quality, delivery, and cost.

An active AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) certification is required. You will collaborate with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Scheduling, and Supply Chain on continuous improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

• Active AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) certification.
• At least three years of welding, fabrication, inspection, or production leadership experience.
• Structural steel fabrication or heavy industrial manufacturing experience.
• Experience leading welders, fitters, team leads, or other skilled-trade employees.
• Working knowledge of AWS D1.1 and AWS D1.3.
• Experience with Welding Procedure Specifications, welder qualifications, visual inspections, and weld acceptance criteria.
• Knowledge of GMAW, FCAW, and SMAW welding processes.
• Ability to interpret fabrication drawings, blueprints, weld symbols, specifications, and production schedules.
• Strong leadership, coaching, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with robotic or automated welding equipment is preferred.
• Experience applying Lean manufacturing principles such as 5S, standardized work, root-cause analysis, visual management, and waste reduction.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily welding operations to meet production, safety, quality, cost, and delivery goals.
• Direct, coach, and develop welding supervisors, team leads, welders, fitters, and robotic welding operators.
• Assign labor, establish priorities, monitor production progress, and adjust resources as needed.
• Ensure welding complies with approved WPSs, fabrication drawings, customer requirements, and AWS standards.
• Serve as the designated CWI responsible for welder testing, qualification, certification, training, and continuity records.
• Oversee visual weld inspections and evaluate discontinuities against applicable acceptance criteria.
• Partner with Quality to address nonconformances, repairs, rework, and recurring weld-quality issues.
• Lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions involving weld defects and process variation.
• Track department performance, including productivity, first-time-through, rework, scrap, downtime, labor utilization, and schedule completion.
• Lead SQDC tier-board meetings and ensure corrective actions are assigned and completed.
• Improve production flow through standardized work, 5S, workcell optimization, setup reduction, and Lean manufacturing practices.
• Manage employee onboarding, cross-training, performance, attendance, coaching, and development.
• Maintain a strong presence on the production floor and reinforce OSHA, PPE, and safe welding practices.

Skills

CWI certification

Welding leadership

Lean manufacturing

Problem-solving

Communication

Tools

Robotic welding equipment

Job description

HTI is seeking a hands-on Welding Manager to lead daily welding operations and serve as the facility’s technical welding expert. You will oversee welders, fitters, team leads, and robotic welding operators while driving improvements in safety, quality, delivery, and cost.

An active AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) certification is required. You will collaborate with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Maintenance, Scheduling, and Supply Chain on continuous improvement initiatives.